US Air Force Chief of Staff Visits Israel

The Chief of Staff of the US Air Force, General Norton A. Schwartz, visited Israel and the IDF (Zahal) for four days, as a guest of IAF Commander Maj. Gen. Ido Nechushtan

Date: 22/07/2009, 9:00 PM Author: IDF (Zahal) Website

On Wednesday (July 22), the Chief of Staff of the US Air Force, General Norton A. Schwartz concluded a four day long work visit in Israel as the guest of the Commander of the Israel Air Force, Maj. Gen. Ido Nechushtan. During his visit, General Norton met with the IDF (Zahal) Chief of the General Staff, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, to discuss the cooperation between the two armies and to update each other on different regional and strategic issues.

This was General Schwartz’s first visit to the IDF (Zahal) and the IAF since assuming his position. The visit was planned in advance and was intended for mutual update, and to strengthen the relationship between the two air forces, further augmenting their mutual efforts.

General Schwartz visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem, toured different IAF bases, flew in a Beechcraft King Air airplane as a demonstration of the airplane’s abilities, and spoke with the senior command and pilots of the IAF. In addition, the Commander of the US Air Force flew over the security fence, the Judea and Samaria region and Jerusalem with the IAF Commander, Maj. Gen. Ido Nechushtan. During the flight, the Commander of the IAF explained the security realities of the region and demonstrated its different security challenges. The two commanders also exchanged evaluations on strategic matters and maintaining the strong cooperation between the two air forces.